So You Want To Get Into Comics?

The world of comics is a vast and seemingly endless place. Long gone are the days where the sequential art strip has been regulated to the off-the-beaten-path comic shop. We have entered the age where as long as you have a computer or smartphone, you have the ability to indulge in comics anywhere, at any time. Interested in learning more? Let’s dig in to it.

Before we begin, let me preface that there is absolutely nothing wrong with comic book shops. Speaking from experience as a comic shop clerk, many stores are open and happy to see newcomers. If a physical trek is more your thing, the local comic shop ACME is a great place to start. I recommend it if you know what you’re interested in.

But if you’re coming at this from the perspective of a complete newcomer (you’re reading this, aren’t you?) chances are that getting started is more difficult than detailed above. Many of the iconic comic-book heroes have been around for over fifty years – that’s a lot of storylines to catch up on in time for the Avengers sequel. If you’re interested in characters from what’s considered the “mainstream” publishers – IDW, Marvel, Image, DC, and Dark Horse – the site Comic Book Resources has a repository of titles and issue reviews. A Comic Book Blog has a few of Marvel’s titular movie characters in what’s considered essential to the character’s backstory, which is always a good place to start. As to purchasing options, if a store trip is too far away or simply just not in your schedule, Amazon is your friend to finding paperback comics for many issues. Digital issues can be found on Comixology, and individual publisher apps. Much like a kindle, many of the comic-reading apps out there are cross platform.

Not all comics are paper based. With the rise in popularity of the internet came a new medium to share stories and artwork. Webcomics have been around for well over a decade at this point and continue to thrive. Many webcomic creators have crossed between doing traditional comics (writing and drawing for Adventure Time comics) and their own creative content, published often in larger volumes. The standard for webcomics are regular updates, the story itself available in a free format online. The theme and narrative of webcomics vary widely, from autobiographical, slice-of-life series to the fantastical, the philosophical to the completely absurd. The Webcomics List is a good place to start looking into themes that interest you, neatly sorted into genres. The Webcomic Overlook is also a good place to start for reviews and reading suggestions.

If this all seems to be a very vague and uncertain start, stick around. In the following weeks I’ll be covering select web – and – traditional comics, recommendations, and other things happening in the comic book multiverse. I encourage you to leave suggestions on what you want to see – I’ll be happy to oblige.

Author: Jes Schroeder

Jes Schroeder is a freelance illustrator and creator of the online graphic novel Stacked Hand. When she's not reading comic books, she's usually playing at alchemy with tea.
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